Florence and Giles

A gripping, sinister Gothic tale inspired by and in the tradition of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw In 1891, in a remote and crumbling New England mansion, 12-year-old orphan Florence and her younger brother are neglected by her guardian uncle. Banned from reading, Florence devours books in secret and talks to herself—and narrates her story—in a unique language of her own invention. By night, she sleepwalks the corridors and is troubled by a recurrent dream in which a mysterious woman appears to threaten her younger brother Giles. After the sudden violent death of the children's first governess, a second teacher, Miss Taylor, arrives, and immediately strange phenomena begin to occur. Florence becomes convinced that the new governess is a malevolent spirit who means to do Giles harm. Against this powerful enemy, Florence must use all her intelligence and ingenuity to protect her little brother and preserve her private world. This gothic page-turner in the tradition of The Woman in Black and The Fall of the House of Usher is told in a startlingly different and wonderfully captivating narrative voice.

Literature & Fiction

Harding, John

Literary

Harpercollins Pub, Ltd.

1891. In a remote and crumbling New England mansion, 12-year-old orphan Florence is neglected by her guardian uncle and banned from reading. Left to her own devices she devours books in secret and talks to herself - and narrates this, her story - in a unique language of her own invention.

The Borough Press

A sinister Gothic tale in the tradition of The Woman in Black and The Fall of the House of Usher New England, the 1890s. A man calling himself Doctor John Shepherd arrives at an isolated women's mental hospital to begin work as assistant to the owner Dr Morgan. As Shepherd struggles to conceal his own dark secrets, he finds the asylum has plenty of its own. Who is the woman who wanders the corridors by night with murderous intent? Why does the chief nurse hate him? And why is he not allowed to visit the hospital's top floor? Shocked by Morgan's harsh treatment of the patients, and intrigued by one of them, Jane Dove, a strange amnesiac girl who is fascinated by books but cannot read, Shepherd embarks upon an experiment to help her. As he attempts to solve the mystery of Jane's past his own troubled history begins to catch up with him and she becomes his only hope of escape, as he is hers. In this chilling literary thriller everyone has something to hide and no one is what he or she seems. The Girl Who Couldn't Read is the long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed international bestseller Florence and Giles but can also be read as a gripping standalone novel.

The Girl Who Couldn't Read

Blue Door

A sinister Gothic tale in the tradition of 'The Woman in Black' and 'The Fall of the House of Usher'.

Contemporary

Borough Press

A gripping, sinister Gothic tale inspired by and in the tradition of Henry James's The Turn of the ScrewIn 1891, in a remote and crumbling New England mansion, 12-year-old orphan Florence and her younger brother are neglected by her guardian uncle. Banned from reading, Florence devours books in secret and talks to herself—and narrates her story—in a unique language of her own invention. By night, she sleepwalks the corridors and is troubled by a recurrent dream in which a mysterious woman appears to threaten her younger brother Giles. After the sudden violent death of the children's first governess, a second teacher, Miss Taylor, arrives, and immediately strange phenomena begin to occur. Florence becomes convinced that the new governess is a malevolent spirit who means to do Giles harm. Against this powerful enemy, Florence must use all her intelligence and ingenuity to protect her little brother and preserve her private world. This gothic page-turner in the tradition of The Woman in Black and The Fall of the House of Usher is told in a startlingly different and wonderfully captivating narrative voice.

On an island paradise somewhere in the South Pacific, Managua—the only native who can read or write—is busily translating Hamlet into pidgin English when a plane interrupts his noble work. Strapping on his false leg, he makes his way to the landing strip to greet the unexpected arrival: William Hardt, a young American lawyer driven by his misguided ambition to win reparations for the island's inhabitants. Hardt is not the first white outsider to pay a visit; the British came earlier, bringing their language, the small pigs that run wild in the jungle, and Shakespeare . . . and the Americans followed with guns, land mines, and Coca-Cola. But in this place of riotously logical ritual, Hardt's determined quest to do good could make him the most devastating visitor of all. Profoundly moving and achingly funny, One Big Damn Puzzler brilliantly explores the collision of the twenty-first century with unsullied pagan reality—and establishes John Harding as one of the most imaginative contemporary chroniclers of the human condition.

One Big Damn Puzzler

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Harper-perennial

Is be or is be not, is be one big damn puzzler...On the day the plane brought the white man to the island, Managua was, as usual, preoccupled with his translation of Hamlet. As the only islander who could read, let alone write, he felt the burden of his culture rested plenty damn heavy upon his shoulders. The plane's arrival meant he'd have to put aside his work, strap on his leg and make his way to the landing beach to greet the newcomer. The island had welcomed visitors before, of course. The British had been there, rather noncommittally, but they had bequeathed their language, half a hotel, the small pigs that now ran wild in the jungle, and Shakespeare. Then the Americans with their military base, its soldiers and guns. That had not been a happy time - as the many landmine casualties testified - apart from the Coca Cola. And there was Miss Lucy, who had embraced island life and its traditions, even if she did over-indulge those silly She-Boys. But what to make of this new arrival, this young lawyer from America with his strange nervous gestures and his fervent belief in doing the right thing and winning reparation for the Islanders?Managua sensed that William Hardt's coming to the island would change everything. And he would be proved plenty damn right...This achingly funny, rich and supremely moving novel confirms John Harding as one of contemporary fiction's most entertaining and observant chroniclers of the human condition.

DOUBLEDAY

The Golden Pathway Annual: A play in two acts

Dramas & Plays

Heinemann Educational

Laura would like a baby, but Nick isn't keen—children are one responsibility too many. Nick's problem is his parents. He is devoted to them, but they are getting old and eccentric. The time has come to take the matter in hand, but it must be done carefully.

What We Did on Our Holiday

Humor & Satire

Transworld Publishers

About to hit 50, obsessed with sex, cocaine-fueled, and gripped by a crippling fear of death, Professor Michael Cole is finding life a bit of a struggle. He knows the time has come to act his age—the question is how. It's when he's caught in the act of adultery by his grandmother that Michael truly begins to see the writing on the wall. After all, she's been dead for 25 years.

While the Sun Shines

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harding, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Harding, John

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harding, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Florence and Giles

Florence and Giles

The Girl Who Couldn't Read

The Girl Who Couldn't Read

Florence and Giles

One Big Damn Puzzler

One Big Damn Puzzler

The Golden Pathway Annual: A play in two acts

What We Did on Our Holiday

While the Sun Shines